Ten (10) Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Cheat in an Examination

www.alternet.org

Cheating in examinations is a worldwide phenomenon and examining bodies the world over keep devising means to checkmate the wave of new and old cheating methods students orchestrate to pass examinations. Cheating is not limited to taking forms of unauthorized materials into examination halls. It also includes taking performance enhancing drugs, hacking into databases to steal examination questions, bribery to get good grades and the list is endless. But beware; cheating can never bring you any good in the short and long run for the ten reasons explained here:

It is a sign of low self-esteem: The inability to believe in yourself and in your ability to study for an examination and pass it, oozes low self-esteem. It can also be a wake-up call to start studying hard.

It could lead to disaster: When you cut corners to pass an examination to get certified or awarded a degree, the people, companies and organizations you work for become fresh recipes for disaster of epic proportions. Since you claim to have skills that you do not have, you set up yourself like a time-bomb waiting to cause untold harm and pain.

Unfair advantage: When you cheat, you are no longer being fair because you give yourself an unfair advantage over your colleagues writing the same examination with you. The high score you may get through cheating is pure contraband and the praise you may get for it is short-lived.

It breeds mediocrity: When cheating in examinations becomes a habit, it makes you relent on your studies. The alternative of cheating deprives you of the opportunity to be the best at what you do and makes you mediocre.

It can destroy your future: In many nations today, jail terms are meted out to those caught and found guilty of cheating in an examination. High dreams and lofty aspirations can be nipped in the bud by the sharp edge of the law’s jaw.

Shame, disgrace and regrets: There are stories without end of how people were disgraced and shamed after they were caught cheating in an examination. It is never a pleasant experience to be caught cheating. You would not just be able to save your face and reputation once you are caught.

You are never relaxed: It is cruel punishment to cheat in an examination because you would be looking over your shoulders all the time. Instead of being relaxed and calm, you would be hyper-sensitive and unsettled throughout the examination period.

You cannot defend the result: Since you cheated and did not write the examination fairly, the ability to repeat what you did to get a high grade would be practically impossible. In fact you would always look at that high score with trepidation and worries about the day when you would be called upon to prove that you truly merit the stellar academic achievement you claim to have obtained.

It is morally wrong: All cultures and traditions in the world kick against cheating in examinations. There is no one nation in the world that condones examination malpractices. This is one of the many wrong things that are universally accepted as wrong and unacceptable all over the world. If you are morally upright, cheating in examinations must never be in your “to do list!”

A bad example: By all standards, you lack the moral basis to encourage others to study if you cheat.